Apparatus foe



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES R. NICHOLS, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR CONTAINING AND DISPENSING SYRUPS FOR SODA-FOUNTAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,549, dated February 8, 1857.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J. R. NICHOLS, of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Receptacles for Containing and Dispensing Syrups, to be used in Connection with Soda-Fountains, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a view, Fig. 2 a plan of the apparatus. v

The usual method of holding and dispensing the Syrups to be used with artificial mineral waters among dealers, is to place them in glass bottles upon t-he counter by the side of the fountain, and then mix them with the carbonio acid water by decantation. There are several objections to this method; besidesl the inconvenience and delay vof taking up, moving the stopper from, and replacing each bottle, as its particular syrup is required; there is a waste from decanting the spilled syrup attracts many flies, and the bottles require much care and labor to keep them clean; there is also a liability to considerable loss by breakage of the bottles. As the syrups are exposed to the heat of the at-mosphere, in warm weather they soon acquire a temperature that renders them liable to spoil, and causes an addition to the temperature of the beverage which is not so acceptable to the consumer. These objections will be removed by the use of my improved apparatus for holding and dispensing the syrups.

In the drawings A are the syrup cans, of which there is one for each variety of syrup to be used, each can is provided with a bent dispensing pipe B-these pipes which descend to near the bottom of the cans, have each a stop cock C. Eachcan is connected with the contiguous ones by the pipes D which are furnished with cocks E; when these cocks are open the cans are all brought into communication with each other, but by means of them communication may be cut off between any one and all the rest.

F are screw caps which close openings in each can through which the syrups are poured in.

G is another opening or short pipe upon one of the cans, to which is attached a force pump for the purpose of forcing in air. The cans being filled about one-half or twothirds full, each with its proper syrup, and the cocks E opened, air is forced in through the pipe G until a pressure is established on the surface of the syrups in each can sufficient to force them up through the pipes B when the cocks C are opened. The cocks E are so arranged that each vessel may be isolated from the others, and opened to receive a fresh supply of syrup as it becomes exhausted, without interfering with or suspending the operation of the contiguous ones; when a can has been thus replenished, the cocks E are again opened and the equilibrium of pressure is restored through all the cans; when the pressure ceases to be sufficient to force 'the syrups out of the oriiices of the pipes, B, a few strokes of the air pump will restore it.

This arrangement of cans with the necessary cocks and pipes is exceedingly compact and convenient, the whole nest of cans may be placed out of the way beneath the counter at which the soda water is drawn, and be surrounded in a suitable box with ice, or they may bc set around the refrigerator in which the soda `water is cooled; it also enables the attendants to serve the syrups much more rapidly than where they are kept in bottles as is at present the custom.

Ihat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The within described arrangement of a series of cans with their pipes and cocks, whereby they may be simultaneously charged with compressed air by a single pump, and any one of them may be isolated from the others for the purpose of replenishing as set forth.

JAMES R. NICHOLS.

Vitnesses: RICHARD C. I-IoWE, JAMES E. GALE. 

